MEARS SITS SIXTH IN POINTS AFTER STRONG TOP 15 ATLANTA RUN

Hampton, GA (March 1, 2015) - Just a week removed from a Daytona Speedweeks that saw Casey Mears and the Germain Racing team go eye-to-eye with NASCAR's top stars and depart with two top-six finishes, they unloaded their No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS at a racetrack that has often proven challenging for the single-car operation.

Due to the new 2015 rules package, NASCAR allowed Sprint Cup Series teams a one-day test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Thursday. Mears made the most of his time and finished up 16th fastest before beginning the race weekend on Friday where he was 20th in practice. In qualifying, Mears and his GEICO Chevy advanced to the second round and notched a 21st place starting position in Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. The team had made marked improvement from previous visits, leaving them anxious for the arrival of race day.

Before doing battle on the racetrack, Mears and his counterparts would first need Mother Nature to retreat. The rain ultimately cleared and the race got underway with little delay. Mears rolled off of the starting grid from the 21st position beneath gray skies on a cold Sunday afternoon. When the green flag turned the field loose, he immediately broke into the top-20 and remained there for nearly the entire race, rarely surrendering positions over the course of the 325-lap event. Complementing Mears' on-track exploits, the Germain Racing pit crew regularly made quick work of the GEICO Chevy on pit road and helped him advance his position on a majority of the stops.

Aside from minor contact with the outside wall, Mears managed to keep his No. 13 GEICO Chevy clean all day, but as the laps ticked off business picked up on the racing surface. With the checkered flag growing nearer, drivers became impatient as they found themselves at odds over real estate. With just 20 to go, Greg Biffle and Joe Nemechek made contact in turn four, resulting in a crash that collected six cars, five of which were scored behind Mears in the running order, and brought out the red flag. The spinning racecar of Nemechek so narrowly missed the GEICO Chevy that Mears radioed to crew chief Bootie Barker: "I just figured he was going to hit me. I couldn't believe it when I didn't feel it."

When the race returned to green with just 14 laps remaining in the advertised distance, Mears restarted from the 16th position. He quickly pedaled his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS around the 1.54-mile paved oval and hustled to a 15th place finish when the race came to a close. His effort accounted for a top-15 finish that leaves him and his team owner, Bob Germain, atop the leaders in the point standings, in the sixth position. The team is off to a successful start in the 2015 season and their performance has created buzz among the media, as well as the Twitterverse.

"It felt really good to come here in a car that was close and that allowed us to go out and compete," Mears said. "The GEICO Chevy was solid today and it was fun to race those guys and get another good finish. The pit crew was also strong and did a nice job of getting me on and off of pit road. We've obviously improved a lot from last year and I'm happy for all of the guys because they've put a lot of work into building this program. We had a great run at Daytona, but we've always been good there. To come here and get a top-15 and leave sixth in points is exciting for everyone on this GEICO team."

The Germain Racing team will now pack up the GEICO Chevy and head west for a three-week stretch that will find them in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, March 6th, at 3:00 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 7:45 PM (ET).

The Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, March 8th, and it will be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

February 27, 2015 (Mooresville, NC) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans traveling to this weekend’s “Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500” at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA, needn’t look far for a great place to get their oil changed. Castrol Premium Lube Express is just a short drive from Hampton in nearby McDonough, GA. The location provides fans with a place to get the high quality and liquid engineering of Castrol installed in their vehicles. Castrol Premium Lube Express is a featured associate sponsor on the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS driven by Casey Mears this weekend at Atlanta.

Georgia features many Castrol Premium Lube Express (CPLE) locations – find a location list at CastrolAtlanta.com. CPLE is Castrol’s top-tier branded quick lube program that leverages the strength of the Castrol brand and focuses on partnership between Castrol and its operators. Every Castrol Premium Lube Express is individually owned and operated, and they are all held to the highest standards of customer service. Customers at Castrol Premium Lube Express continue to return for a variety of reasons ranging from feeling Castrol is the best oil available for their car, to enjoying the professional, speedy service and friendly informative staff at the CPLE locations.

Over 100 years of Castrol marketing and technological leadership were combined with extensive research to ensure CPLE locations have the best tools and resources available.

Sunday’s 500-mile Sprint Cup Series race comes on the heels of an action-packed 2015 season-opener in Daytona Beach, FL. Watch the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 live coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway beginning at 11 a.m. ET with NASCAR Race Day: Atlanta on FOX Sports 1. Switch over to FOX at 12:30 p.m. for NASCAR Race Day: Atlanta followed by racing action at 1 p.m. on FOX or on FOX Deportes. NASCAR Victory Lane will air at 6 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.

MEARS ALL SMILES AFTER SUCCESSFUL DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS

Daytona Beach, FL (February 22, 2015) - Casey Mears and Germain Racing are off to a blazing start in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Save for a distressing Duel 150, the GEICO team scored top finishes during Speedweeks and, more notably, managed to cruise through ten practice sessions, Daytona 500 qualifying, a short-lived Duel 150 and a 507.5-mile race without damaging a single racecar. While their fourth place finish in the Sprint Unlimited and the sixth place Daytona 500 result is impressive, most impressive is the fact that they escaped the World Center of Racing unscathed.

While an engine issue in Thursday's opening Duel 150 relegated Mears to a 41st starting position inSunday's Daytona 500, he and his crew remained unshaken. After all, Mears is referred to as one of the best restrictor-plate racers on the circuit and effortlessly finds his way to the front of the field when necessary. Crew chief Bootie Barker devised a strategy to assist in keeping Mears' No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS safe and clean, allowing him to be there at the end of the 200 laps and have a chance of winning the Great American Race.

When the green flag got the Daytona 500 underway on a hot Sunday afternoon, Barker advised Mears to remain at the rear of the field and protect his equipment. Restrictor-plate racetra

cks are notorious for crashes that are affectionately referred to as 'the big one' and they collect packs of racecars at a time. Barker's plan would minimize any potential risk of peril.

Aside from being the leader of the event on lap 22, Mears executed perfectly and exhibited patience through 160 laps of racing. With 200 laps in the scheduled distance, he began carefully navigating his GEICO Chevy toward the front of the field, where he ultimately chased down the leaders. He was in the 18th position by lap 161, but restarted 16th on the lap 165 restart after the GEICO crew picked up two positions on pit road during a yellow flag stop. He quickly pedaled his way into 12th by lap 166 and continued into the top-10 with just 18 laps remaining. Mears and his GEICO SS were running 10th with three laps to go when Justin Allgaier and Ty Dillon got together and brought out the caution flag. Mears was sitting pretty with an impending green-white-checker finish on the horizon.

When the green flag waved for the final time on Sunday, the race headed into overtime and took 203 laps to settle. Mears and his GEICO machine restarted from the 9th position and were on the move quickly. With the white flag in the air, he had caught the top-five and was hurriedly closing. During the final lap, cars began crashing behind him and after the yellow and checkered flags waved simultaneously, Mears scored a sixth place finish in the season opening Daytona 500.

"It was a really solid day. We've run up front at a lot of these things and today showed how strong we are on these tracks," said Mears, who finished 10th in last year's Daytona 500 and fourth in the July race. "We are getting a little bit greedier. We definitely want to win one of these races. I think our standards are getting higher. We went from possibly not being in the show to finishing sixth in the biggest race of the year and that's definitely a good spread and a good way to start the season for sure. I'm proud of the guys on this GEICO team and happy to give all of the GEICO associates a good finish."

Mears' GEICO Chevy carried a decal during Speedweeks honoring the memory of Braeden Hollowell and Annie and Caroline Clark, three high school students that perished in a tragic car accident in west central Indiana, on January 2, 2015. The family of Hollowell was on-hand to spend time with the team during the race weekend.

Mears and his GEICO team will next journey just a few hours away to Hampton, GA.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, February 27th, at 1:00 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 5:45 PM (ET).

The Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, March 1st, and it will be televised live on FOX beginning at 1:00 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

TOP-20 HOMESTEAD FINISH ENDS SEASON ON STRONG NOTE FOR MEARS AND GERMAIN RACING

Player Management International Media Release

Homestead, FL (November 16, 2014) – After turning in four strong weeks of racing, Casey Mears and Germain Racing entered Homestead looking to close out the 2014 season in strong fashion. In just their second year of full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, the GEICO team wrapped up the season with one top-5 finish, three top-10’s, nine top-15’s and 16 top-20’s. Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 complemented their stats when Mears hustled to a 20th place finish.

Practice got off to a slow start when Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS ended up 31st on the scoring chart at the close of the first practice on Friday. Qualifying would show incremental improvement when he navigated the 1.5-mile paved oval in 30.390-seconds at a speed of 177.690-miles per hour, landing him 29th on Sunday’s starting grid. Crew chief Bootie Barker and the Germain Racing engineering staff remained hard at work over the course of the weekend looking for speed that would increase their chances of success on race day.

A late start time of 3 PM (ET) would present teams with the challenge of starting the race in bright sunshine and finishing in cooler temperatures under a dark sky. Changing track conditions kept the GEICO crew on their toes as they adapted as the race progressed. Mears and his GEICO Chevy rolled off of the starting grid from the 29th position when the green flag started the final race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The early part of the race saw Mears battling a loose condition that would plague him until sunset. On lap 35, he radioed to Barker that he was “crazy loose”. Finding himself two laps down to the field, Mears began to hustle as the clouds overtook the speedway. On lap 85, he was in the 28th position and said, “The track is cooling off with the cloud cover, so it’s turning better. The adjustments we made on that last stop were in the right direction.” He was running in the 26th position when he briefly fell victim to loose handling again on lap 126: “I'm too loose. I just can't go. I'm loose in, loose off.” The team worked on the car during each pit stop and did it in prompt fashion, as Mears would gain positions multiple times on pit road.

The No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS returned to the lead lap on lap 223. Barker reminded Mears that he was now on the lead lap and to “get all you can get.” He did just that, as he hustled into the top-20 and looked solid as the race entered the final few miles. A handful of caution flags in the closing laps kept everyone on edge, but Mears held on and crossed the finish line in the 20th position, accounting for the team’s 16th top-20 finish of the 2014 season. Homestead concludes a five-week stretch of strong runs and, more importantly, a solid season that saw the team make improvements at tracks that previously caused them headaches. Notably, Germain Racing is credited with just a single ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) in 2014, a feat accomplished by very few teams.

“The guys did a really good job this weekend and we worked hard to get the GEICO Chevy handling better and it seemed to come to us when the cloud cover set in,” Mears said. “It’s nice to be able to wrap up the season on a strong note and get a top-20 finish at a racetrack that has been tough on us in the past. It’s been a strong season and we’ve made a lot of progress on these intermediate tracks, which is a good sign as we get ready for the 2015 season.” He added, “I want to thank GEICO, KMC Wheels, Castrol, Caymus and all of our partners for their support this year. And, I can’t thank our owner Bob Germain enough for the investment he’s made in the team. This is only our second full season of racing, so I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, so far. Each year we get better, so we’re looking forward to getting to Daytona in February and getting the 2015 season started.”

Mears and the GEICO Racing team will get to enjoy the upcoming holiday season at home before traveling to Daytona Beach, FL, for the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 22, 2015.

MEARS FAST ALL WEEKEND IN PHOENIX; TIRE SPOILS TOP-10 RUN

Avondale, AZ (November 9, 2014) - Just two races remained on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule when Casey Mears and Germain Racing unloaded their No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet SS for practice on Friday. Veteran's Day weekend posed the perfect opportunity to run a special paint scheme honoring our nation's military. On Sunday afternoon, most of the Sprint Cup field would find themselves behind Mears on the starting grid, staring directly at the saluting Gecko that was ever-present on the rear of his Chevy.

Mears and company were quick off of the truck. 45-minutes into the weekend's opening practice session, the No. 13 GEICO Military Chevy sat atop the leaderboard in the first position. Qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway got underway late Friday afternoon and featured two rounds: one 30-minutes long and the other 10-minutes in duration, and allowed just 12 cars to advance to the final round. Mears and his GEICO Military Chevy out-hustled the bulk of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field and moved onto the final round of qualifying. His effort landed him 12th on Sunday's Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 starting grid.

Perfect weather welcomed fans and teams alike to the racetrack on Sunday. Mears rolled off of the starting grid from the 12th position and when the green flag flew, he immediately made progress. He moved into the 10th position by lap four and ran solidly in the top-10 until the caution flag came out on lap 30. Crew chief Bootie Barker ordered Mears down pit road for right-side tires and fuel. While some cars only took fuel, Mears surrendered just two positions when he returned to the racing surface. He restarted 12th and momentarily dropped to 13th before passing his good friend Jimmie Johnson to recapture the 12th position.

Heartache soon set in, however, when on lap 80 the right rear tire of Mears' GEICO Military Chevy gave way and sent him into the wall, causing damage to the right front headlight area and right rear quarter panel of the racecar. He was also left with just half of his front splitter. Mears visited pit road three times under caution for repairs and returned to the race just two laps down thanks to the speedy work of the GEICO pit crew. Unfortunately, the damage was significant enough that he would not be able to recover as the race wore on.

Adding insult to injury, on lap 212 the No. 26 car of Cole Whitt made heavy contact with the rear of Mears' No. 13 GEICO Military Chevy after failing to slow down as cars were crashing in front of them. He would be forced to bring his Chevy to the attention of the Germain Racing pit crew for additional repairs. Over the course of the final 100 laps, Barker would make calls and take gambles in order to gain as much ground as possible. When the checkered flag halted 312-miles of racing, Mears was relegated to a 35th place finish.

"What a frustrating day for our GEICO team because we had a lot of speed and were running strong in the top-12 from the time we took the green flag until the tire blew 80-laps into the race," Mears said. "I was able to pass cars and do what I needed to do with the racecar for nearly a third of the race, which shows how strong we really are. Everyone at Germain Racing has been focused on finishing the season strong, so Phoenix was a good sign of how well we're doing. The GEICO Military Chevrolet SS was fast all weekend and we consistently posted good speed."

Next up for Mears and the Germain Racing team is the season finale in Homestead, FL.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, November 14th, at 12:30 PM (ET) and it will be televised live on FoxSports 1. Qualifying will follow at 6:15 PM (ET) and can be seen live on ESPN2.

The Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 16th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3:00 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

MEARS HUSTLES TO 18TH PLACE FINISH IN THE LONE STAR STATE

Fort Worth, TX (November 2, 2014) - As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season begins to quickly wind down, the Germain Racing team looks to close the year on a strong note. Their effort has not been without results. After a top-10 finish at the GEICO 500 at Talladega, Casey Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS had a strong run going at Martinsville before becoming collateral damage while running in the 14th position with just 64 laps to go. With two solid runs under their belt, the Lone Star State presented the opportunity for redemption, as the 1.5-mile speedway has long given the Germain organization fits. After finishing 28th in Texas in the spring, they aimed to improve the result as the Sprint Cup Series visited Texas Motor Speedway for the final time this season.

The weekend started off slow when Mears and his GEICO Chevy finished up first practice in the 29th position on Friday afternoon. If the afternoon was a challenge, the evening didn't provide any relief. A tough qualifying session landed Mears 38th on the starting grid, which would present a significant challenge come race day. Despite the setback, the GEICO team showed up for practice on Saturday morning and ended up 11th on the board, an indication that crew chief Bootie Barker and his engineering staff found speed in the late-night hours at the team hotel. The speed looked good on Mears and hope was abound when the team departed the track on Saturday.

Gray skies, wind and cool temperatures welcomed race fans to the track on Sunday. Thesun ultimately manifested itself just prior to race time, but would later depart as the event wore on. Starting from the 38th position, Mears would have his hands full as he looked to work his way to the front at the high-speed facility. In the opening laps of the race, Mears began to battle handling issues. On lap 19, he had navigated up to 30th, but reported that he was "loose in and off, but losing the frontend pretty bad through the center". Mears' communication on lap 30 caused alarm when he told Barker: "The car's driving like I have a right rear tire going down." The pit crew was at the ready, but the tire would not become an issue.

As the race wore on, Mears found himself three laps down to the field after being caught on pit road when the caution came out on lap 41. Barker devised a strategy that would help facilitate Mears' return to the lead lap. He would order Mears to take the wavearound under two different cautions, major gambles that would pay off when the GEICO team became the beneficiary of timely yellow flags. The Germain Racing pit crew also provided welcome assistance by picking up multiple positions on pit road during the race.

Around the halfway point of the race, the sun slid behind the clouds, the wind picked up and the temperatures cooled. The track began to come to Mears and he was soon making big gains and charging to the front. As the end of the race approached, the GEICO Chevy was back on the lead lap and eyeing a top-20 finish. The final laps at Texas Motor Speedway seemed more akin to the Wild West than a NASCAR race. It would take two attempts at a green-white-checker finish to determine the outcome of the originally scheduled 501-mile event. When the checkered flag closed out 341-laps of racing, Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Chevy scored an 18th place finish after collecting 20 positions from their 38th place starting spot. Mears' effort accounts for the team's 15th top-20 finish of the 2014 season.

"We started out a little rough, but the guys never quit and we kept making changes to the GEICO Chevy and the car really got better as the race progressed," Mears said. "Bootie made some good calls that put us in position to make up ground and the pit crew did a nice job getting me off of pit road quickly. It's good to have another strong run as we get close to the end of the year. We had a few tough weeks, but we're turning it around over the last three races and I'm happy for the guys on this GEICO team because everyone works so hard."

Mears and the Germain Racing team will now head west to Phoenix for the second to last race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Phoenix International Raceway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, November 7th, at 1:30 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 6:45 PM (ET).

The Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 9th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3:00 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

MEARS' TOP-10 RUN INTERRUPTED, ENDS UP AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Player Management International Media Release

Martinsville, VA (October 26, 2014) - Casey Mears and the GEICO team came into Martinsville riding the top-10 wave from the GEICO 500 at Talladega. Mears sat as high as first on the practice chart and qualified 20th, however a late-race incident on Sunday thwarted what would have been a top-10 run for the Germain Racing team.

After lining up 20th for the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, the early stages of the race found Mears a bit tight in his GEICO Chevy, so the team began readying their strategy for first round pit stops. Despite a lap three caution, the first pit opportunity would not come until lap 18 and Mears came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, to help what he described as "super tight."

With opportunities to pass few and far between, Mears found himself one lap in arrears when the caution flew at lap 189. Crew chief Bootie Barker decided that rather than have Mears visit pit road, he would instead have him take the wave around, meaning the No. 13 GEICO Chevy SS would return to the lead lap.

Following a handful of odd occurrences, including pit road penalties and a mid-race gutsy call to not pit, Mears restarted the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 from the second position, sporting the best position of the day. The No. 13 GEICO machine was strong as the field went back to green, but eventually gave way to those with fresher Goodyear tires.

The call proved to be beneficial, however, as Mears held his own in the waning laps. With just over 100 laps to go, Mears' GEICO Chevy came into its own as he began to collect positions during his charge to the front. On lap 393 of 500, he restarted in the 18th position and knocked off one position at a time until being posted in 14th place at lap 400.

With just 64 laps to go at the paperclip-shaped .526-mile oval, Mears' day would take a devastating turn when the caution flew at lap 436...it would involve the No. 13 GEICO SS. The No. 2 car of "Chase" contender, Brad Keselowski broke an axle and came to a stop in front of Mears who had nowhere to go, causing a hard crash that knocked the wind out of the GEICO driver and left him with a battered racecar. Mears climbed from his racecar without assistance, but the damage to the GEICO Chevy was terminal and would result in Germain Racing's first DNF of the 2014 season.

"This is a really fun race and it's just a shame we ended up like this," said Mears upon emerging from the infield care center. "My spotter reacted as quick as it happened but as soon as he got the words out of his mouth, I was into the back of the 2 car.... he was just stopped on the track. The day was really shaping up well, so it's tough to now be sitting on the bad side of Martinsville. We put our GEICO Chevy in position to contend for a top-10 finish, but it just didn't end up that way."

With just three races remaining on the schedule, Mears and the GEICO team will now travel to the Lone Star State.

Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Texas Motor Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, October 31st at 1:00 PM (ET) and it will be televised on Fox Sports1. Qualifying will follow at 6:45 PM (ET) and will air live on ESPN2.

The Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 2nd, and will air live on ESPN beginning at 3:00 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

September 30, 2014 (Mooresville, NC) – If NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans need to freshen up their autos for the road trip to Kansas Speedway, they needn’t look far to find a Castrol Premium Lube Express. The high quality and liquid engineering of Castrol can be installed at locations in St. Joseph and Independence, MO, as well as Ottawa, KS. Castrol Premium Lube Express will be featured as an associate sponsor on the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS driven by Casey Mears in this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Castrol Premium Lube Express (CPLE) is Castrol’s top-tier branded quick lube program that leverages the strength of the Castrol brand and focuses on partnership between Castrol and its operators. Every Castrol Premium Lube Express is individually owned and operated, and they are all held to the highest standards of customer service. Customers at Castrol Premium Lube Express continue to return for a variety of reasons ranging from feeling Castrol is the best oil available for their car, to enjoying the professional, speedy service and friendly informative staff at the CPLE locations.

Over 100 years of Castrol marketing and technological leadership were combined with extensive research to ensure CPLE locations have the best tools and resources available.

Here’s a lineup of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series activity from Kansas Speedway for the No. 13 GEICO Chevy SS and Casey Mears this weekend: Friday, October 3rd, from 1-2:20 p.m. ET opening practice airs on FOX Sports 1. At 5:45 p.m. see Coors Light Pole Qualifying on ESPN2; Saturday’s first practice is from 11-11:50 a.m. on FOX Sports 1 and final practice is 2-2:50 p.m. on FOX Sports 2. Sunday’s race, #HC400, airs at 2 p.m. on ESPN or listen in to the 267 laps, 400.5 miles of action on Motor Racing Network (MRN) or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90

MEARS CAPS OFF BUSY WEEK WITH STRONG RUN AT THE MONSTER MILE

Dover, DE (September 28, 2014) - After a solid run in New Hampshire, Casey Mears and the GEICO team headed to Dover, DE, armed with a battle plan for the track affectionately referred to as the Monster Mile. First though, Mears and the Germain Racing crew would stop and visit with service members at Dover Air Force Base, where they took part in a C-17 orientation flight with the 436th Airlift Wing. They found themselves experiencing in-air refueling of aircraft, cargo deployment and an assault landing. Germain Racing would reciprocate when 20 members of the Air Force joined the team at the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.

Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS got off to a quick start on Friday when they finished up 21st fastest in the weekend's opening practice session. He would later qualify 30th for Sunday's race before rebounding with solid practices on Saturday.

Bright sunshine and heat accompanied the anticipated action on the racetrack when the event got underway on Sunday afternoon. Mears playfully commented over the radio during the parade laps that the "man upstairs put another log on the fire." He started from the 30th position when the green flag turned the field loose for 400-miles of racing.

Mears had the GEICO Chevy in the 28th position when debris brought out the first caution flag of the afternoon on lap 62. He took the opportunity to visit pit road where the GEICO crew refreshed him with four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. While the pit crew turned in a quick stop, Mears would unfortunately be assessed a speeding penalty that would relegate him to the 38th position when the race went back to green on lap 67. When the caution flag reappeared just eight laps later on lap 75, the No. 13 GEICO Chevy was in 34th and once again traveled down pit road for service. The Germain Racing crew shifted into high gear and returned Mears to the racing surface four positions to the good in 30th when the race returned to green on lap 79. One lap down to the field, Mears pedaled quickly around the high-banked one-mile oval and was sitting in the free pass position when a much-needed yellow flag waved on lap 170 and returned the GEICO Chevy to the lead lap.

Mears consistently posted top-5 and top-10 lap times and ran solidly in the top-25 throughout the afternoon. When a long green flag run towards the end of the race left Mears at full speed for an extended period of time, crew chief Bootie Barker warned the GEICO driver that he would be approximately two-laps short on fuel and advised him to save where he could. With just 50 laps remaining in the race, Mears was forced to save fuel. Consequently, he would surrender crucial real estate, which resulted in a loss of positions that left him in 27th when the checkered flag closed out 400-laps of racing. While 27th was not the desired result, the alternative could have been an empty fuel tank that would have left the team in a more dire situation.

"Today was an odd day because we ran pretty well and had speed, so it was a hard-fought 27th place finish for the GEICO team," Mears said. "This place is tough. If we don't have to save fuel, maybe we finish a few spots better, but all in all it was a strong day and the crew did a great job on pit road, as well. It was also nice to have so many of the folks from our visit to Dover Air Force Base with us today. They were very generous during our C-17 orientation flight, so it was cool to be able to do something for them and show them a good time."

The next stop for Mears and his GEICO team on the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the Sunflower State.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Kansas Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, October 3rd, at 1:00 PM (EDT). Qualifying will follow at 5:45 PM (EDT).

The Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, October 5th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 2:00 PM (EDT). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

Brooklyn, MI (June 17, 2012) – Casey Mears and his Germain Racing team came storming into Michigan still glowing from a positive weekend in the Pocono Mountains that saw them make significant progress with their racecars.This weekend also welcomed Valvoline™ NextGen™ as a primary sponsor of the #13 Germain Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry.Valvoline(TM) NextGen will also adorn the car as a primary sponsor for the June 30th race at Kentucky Speedway.

When Mears and his #13 Valvoline NextGen Ford Fusion took to the track for the series’ opening practice session, they experienced frustration after landing 35th on the board.The final practice session would revive the hopes of the team as they made necessary adjustments that sent Mears ascending the speed charts and finishing up in the 19th position, 16 spots to the good.

When qualifying got underway on Saturday afternoon, Mears wheeled his #13 Valvoline NextGen Fusion around Michigan International Speedway in just 36.262 seconds, at a rate of speed of 198.555 miles per hour.His effort placed him 24th on the starting grid, just ahead of Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

When Mears and his Germain Racing team arrived at the track on Sunday morning, their battle with the 2-mile repaved tri-oval would be delayed, as rain settled over the Brooklyn, Michigan, area.It wouldn’t take long for the weather to clear and for the cars and drivers to take to the starting grid before an enthusiastic crowd of 82,000 fans.

Once the green flag set the field loose amid clearing skies, Mears made quick progress and jumped three positions to 21st before the event’s first caution flag of the day waved on lap two for a Kurt Busch spin.Once the race went back to green, Mears and the #13 Valvoline NextGen Fusion dropped a few spots before setting sail for the front of the field.As the race passed the halfway point, he would even dip into the Top 10 before Lap 126 saw him craftily dodging the crashing cars of Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne.

The balance of Mears’ afternoon was spent in the Top 25 before a late-race surge saw him hustle the #13 Valvoline NextGen Fusion to a 20th place finish.The result accounts for the team’s second Top 20 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

“It was great to get out of there with a Top 20 finish and give both Valvoline NextGen and GEICO a good day at the track,” Mears said.“We enjoyed having Valvoline NextGen on the car and their sponsorship shows that we’re making progress and companies are taking notice of our improvement.We appreciate Valvoline’s support and look forward to having them back on the car in Kentucky in a couple of weeks.”Mears continued, “I’m proud of all of our guys.Our team fights hard and when we’re struggling, we don’t quit; Bootie (Barker, crew chief) and the guys keep hustling until we find what we need.”

The GEICO Gecko will return to the hood of the #13 Ford Fusion this week when the Germain Racing team travels to the Napa Valley for the first road course race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.Mears has two career Top 10’s at the northern California racing circuit.

Mears and his #13 GEICO Ford Fusion will hit the track in Sonoma, CA, for the opening practice session on Friday, June 22nd, at 3:00 PM (EDT).Qualifying will follow at 6:40 PM (EDT).

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, June 24th, and it will be televised live on TNT beginning at 2:00 PM (EDT).The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.

Follow Valvoline on Twitter @Valvoline. To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.GermainRacing.com or follow on Twitter @GermainRacing

To learn more about the GEICO racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

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About Germain Racing

Germain Racing team owner Bob Germain Jr. is passionate about racing in NASCAR’s highest ranks. He and his brothers, Steve and Rick, established the racing team in 2004 and Bob is thrilled to see the team’s progression to competing each week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.